Slow file transfer between computers on home network... - Hardware & Software

Right, so I've got a wireless network set up at home using a D-Link 524 wireless router (54 Kbps). Since I'm often using my laptop and desktop computers in parallel, I've configured them such as to make almost all files on both computers accessible from either. I'm particularly interested in transferring large amounts of data both ways, since I'm often downloading Steam games from places other than home (due to my extremely poor Internet connection; 0.5 Mbps DSL). However, while I've gotten the computers to recognize each other on the wireless network, transferring files between them is slow, VERY slow. Like 800 kilobytes per second-slow. This is slower than USB if I recall correctly. It seems to be just barely rivaling my Internet connection. The only reason I ever bothered to set the network up was so I could share files quickly, but alas. My questions are as follows: 1. Is such slow transfer speeds normal? 2. Is it possible to improve it? Firewalls on/off has no impact at all. 3. If all else fails, is there a fool-proof way of connecting the computers locally via LAN? I've got the cable ready. Both machines use Windows 7.

If you're transferring large files wireless isn't going to cut it, why not just connect both machines via your router?

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[QUOTE=BmB;18683514][url]http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001232.html[/url][/QUOTE] I checked this out, but the wireless drivers for my dlink adapters (using a USB one for the stationary) doesn't seem to have support for 'Jumbo Frames'...

Try connecting them directly with the cable, it should work fine. As for actually solving transfer problems, try chaning the wifi channel/frequency/whatever. Set it higher if you can.

If you are using Windows vista or Windows 7 on either computer it may be that you have Remote Differential Compression turned on. To turn it off all you need to do is... 1. Open the Control Panel. 2. Open Programs and features. 3. Click Turn Windows features on or off. 4. Uncheck Remote Differential Compression.

Alright, so failing that, what is the standard procedure for hooking up two machines with a LAN cable? My two computers seem unable to identify eachother, they just recognize the connection as "Unidentified Network - No Internet access".

Putting one end in one computer and the other end in the other should work nicely. Everything else is a matter of settings. You could try using a router as a middle man but that's just silly.

Connect the computers directly to eachother. that way you get a nice, fast 1Gb connection, versus the 10/100 connection that bottlenecks most home routers. Wireless transfers are slow, even over wireless N @ 300Mb/s. PC to PC link is most advisable.

The thing is that it's the settings that I can't figure out. Any rules of thumb for getting them to recognize eachother?

Automatic everything.

Sorry for bumping, but I really need to figure this out... Has anyone connected two computers directly with a LAN cable under Win7? If so, what are the settings you use?

If both computers are wireless, use ad hoc, if not hook them up with Cat 6 Ethernet cable. Cat 6 is gigabit and can transfer up to 100MB a second.

[QUOTE=Im Crimson;19954879]Sorry for bumping, but I really need to figure this out... Has anyone connected two computers directly with a LAN cable under Win7? If so, what are the settings you use?[/QUOTE] They shouldn't need any settings changed, just connect them with the LAN cable and wait for Windows to figure out the connection. It will show as "unidentified network, no internet connection", that's normal. Once they're connected you can access the shared folders on one computer from the other.

Thanks for the new replies. Yes, it shows up as "Undefined network, no internet access", both computers don't seem to detect eachother properly. Just now I had managed to get the laptop to access my stationary, but not the other way around. I could browse files on the stationary from the laptop, but I could not transfer files as it gave me a permission error. The stationary could detect the name of my laptop (I.E it put an icon with my laptop's name under Network), but couldn't access files on it. Running the network diagnostics on either doesn't help (just prompts me to reset the router/access point, which there are none). It simply appears to me like Windows can't figure out proper settings. This is why I'm wondering about specific settings regarding things like visibility, permissions and such. I might have changed a whole bunch of settings in my previous attempts to connect the computers and possibly messed something up. I'm finding a whole bunch of networking settings for enabling printer/file sharing, but none seems to improve the situation. By the way, is ad-hoc faster than transfer through a wireless router?

[QUOTE=tristanguy2;19958545]If both computers are wireless, use ad hoc, if not hook them up with Cat 6 Ethernet cable. Cat 6 is gigabit and can transfer up to 100MB a second.[/QUOTE] There are some many things wrong with this that I don't even know where to start. 1. CAT5e can also handle Gigabit speeds. 2. Gigabit is 1000MB/sec, hence the Giga 3. Ad hoc won't make things go any faster. 4. You won't get Gigabit speeds unless both computers have Gigabit ports, which I doubt his computers do.

[QUOTE=Im Crimson;19959727]Thanks for the new replies. Yes, it shows up as "Undefined network, no internet access", both computers don't seem to detect eachother properly. Just now I had managed to get the laptop to access my stationary, but not the other way around. I could browse files on the stationary from the laptop, but I could not transfer files as it gave me a permission error. The stationary could detect the name of my laptop (I.E it put an icon with my laptop's name under Network), but couldn't access files on it. Running the network diagnostics on either doesn't help (just prompts me to reset the router/access point, which there are none). It simply appears to me like Windows can't figure out proper settings. This is why I'm wondering about specific settings regarding things like visibility, permissions and such. I might have changed a whole bunch of settings in my previous attempts to connect the computers and possibly messed something up. I'm finding a whole bunch of networking settings for enabling printer/file sharing, but none seems to improve the situation. By the way, is ad-hoc faster than transfer through a wireless router?[/QUOTE] Sounds like there's permission problems with the folders you're trying to access. I'd recommend unsharing the folders in question, then sharing them again with the right settings (e.g. "Everyone" group and read/write access). And no, ad-hoc isn't faster than via a router.